Guangdong gives rural population water pledge

By Jonathan Yeung (China Daily) Updated: 2007-07-19 06:50

Guangdong Province in South China has pledged "safe, clean water" for all
people living in its rural areas by 2013.

"Our aim is that about 7.5 million people in the countryside will have access
to safe, clean water during the 11th Five-Year Plan period. During the 12th
Five-Year Plan period, the remaining 9 million will get the same," a report from
Guangdong Water Resources Department, said.

The department has so far submitted to Beijing 144 projects on improving
water quality in Guangdong's rural areas and total beneficiaries from these
projects are expected to exceed 1.72 million.

"We are now working on the third batch of 84 projects and they will help
solve water safety problems faced by 650,000 rural people," an officer with the
department, said. He declined to give his name.

But he also admitted that the department still faces "huge pressures" as only
about 340,000 rural people at present have access to safe, clean water.

"Our goal is 7.5 million during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, which means
that we must solve the water problem for at least 2 million rural people per
year in the next three years," he said.

Last month, Guangdong still had more than 16 million rural people drinking
"unsafe water".

"Government may consider slowing down some civil construction projects and
put more funds into solving water safety problems in the countryside," Xu
Yuanyuan a deputy to the National People's Congress, said, when attending a
meeting held by the Guangdong water resources department.

"Some departments and local governments should reduce their 'image projects'
and build less office buildings. Water safety problems must be addressed as soon
as possible," another deputy to the National People's Congress, Deng Mingyi,
said.

"Problems such as water containing fluorine or arsenic that exceeds the
safety standard must be solved as quickly as possible," he said.